NASCAR Clarifies Damaged Vehicle Policy for Remainder of 2024 Cup Series Season

NASCAR officials held a meeting with Cup Series crew chiefs on Thursday to provide clarity on the Damaged Vehicle Policy for the remainder of the 2024 season. The policy will be enforced using the same guidelines that were applied during the Oct. 6 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race at Talladega Superspeedway.

If a vehicle sustains flat tires but seems capable of continuing, yet cannot be driven back to the pit stall, it will be towed there. This allows the team to change tires and evaluate and repair the damage within the designated seven-minute time frame.

The need for clarification arose after confusion surrounding the DVP rule came to light at Kansas Speedway on Sept. 29. Josh Berry’s No. 4 Ford was hit in the right rear and sent sliding during a Lap 1 incident exiting Turn 2. Despite minimal apparent damage, Berry’s Ford was considered out of the race under the previous interpretation of the DVP, as he was unable to continue after the contact, thus ending his race prematurely.

However, at Talladega a week later, a massive 28-car wreck in the final laps left many cars stranded with flat tires near the entrance of Turn 3. Among them were playoff contenders Chase Elliott and Chase Briscoe, both of whom suffered damage but were towed back to their pit stalls for repairs.

This clarification comes at a crucial juncture in the NASCAR Cup Series postseason, with the Round of 12 elimination race scheduled for Sunday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).